What causes Flat Head Syndrome?

NEW YORK -- New parents may one day wake up noticing that one side of their child's head is flatter than the other. While they may be scared something major is going on, just the opposite is true.

Babies' skull bones are soft to allow for rapid brain growth in their first year of life. If a child sleeps in one position all the time, part of that soft skull can become flat. In the current issue of the Journal Pediatrics, one report says this condition is more common than once thought.

13-month-old Leann and Lily Martinez are twins. Soon after birth, they gave their parents quite a startle. In each child, one side of the head was flatter than the other.

"At first I thought something was wrong with their brains," said the twins' mother, Jennifer, "You always think the worst as a mother, and we decided to come to the doctor and have it checked out a little further."

It happened because the twins were squeezed together in the womb, but many infants are put to sleep in the same position on their backs to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The result, according to recent report, is that about half of infants who were looked at had flat heads.

"This is the first time a study has been undertaken that has shown that the number of children were as high as we found in this study from Canada," said Dr. Jeffrey Bienstock of the Valley Hospital.

To prevent Flat Head Syndrome, Dr. Bienstock suggests alternating the baby's position in the crib. Parents can still put the child to sleep on his or her back. This will allow the child to reposition themselves and turn both ways. There are also custom-made helmets to round out the head, although it may not be necessary for a child to wear one.

The condition is cosmetic and the brain is also unaffected. Kids will round out the flat part over time with better sleep positioning. Due to other problems, both Leann and Lily wore helmets since they were 8 months old.

Treatments usually last only a couple of months, but the earlier treatment is started, the less treatment is needed. It is best to ask your pediatrician for the best option. The best advice given by pediatricians is to make sure kids are on their backs to sleep, but on their belly to play.

Infants wear the helmets about 23 hours out of the day during treatment. Sometimes neck muscles on the side of the flattening become shorter than normal, which can be treated with physical therapy. The custom helmets can cost as much as $2,500.

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health news, dr. jay adlersberg

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